Tales from Other Lands

Hettie the Highland cow has lots of hair to keep her warm and cosy. But other animals want to be cosy, too... In springtime, two blackbirds stop by and build their nest in Hettie's hair. She's a cow not a hedge!

In summertime, butterflies lay their eggs in Hettie's fur, and they grow into wriggling caterpillars.

In autumn, a squirrel burrows into her fur to hibernate.

And in winter, a mountain hare hops aboard, too! Poor Hettie. She's a cow, not a hairy hotel! Maybe it’s time for a haircut...

Charming and warm for ages 3-6.

For the Children of the World

Stories and Recipes from the Internatinoal Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education

Here is a joyous collection of folktales from around the world, retold from the heart for young children. In addition to some of the best stories the world's people have to offer, an extra treat is the recipes from many of the cultures that contributed to this rich and wonderful book. Each recipe was clear chosen to be tasty and wholesome for young children, as well as being simple enough to make while tending our little ones. Altogether, this is a vibrant collection that evokes love and wonder. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The good people at WECAN are very much to be congratulated - they have produced what is, in my opinion, the finest collection of stories for young children ever published in English (maybe in any language, but others will have to judge that). Tell Me a Story brings together in one volume over 80 stories told and loved in Waldorf kindergartens throughout North America, and as such really offers a resource that can last throughout a lifetime.

Wherever there are children, the cry of "Tell me a story . . ." is heard, and in Waldorf education, storytelling is an integral (and often favorite) part of each day. Stories connect us to one another, give us a sense of who we are, and can help to guide us into the future. Tell Me a Story is filled with treasures for all ages and all occasions. Whether you are a teacher, parent, grandparent, caregiver, or just a lover of good stories, you will find inspiration and nourishment in these pages.

It’s a beautiful, sunny Easter Sunday in Sweden. The farmer and his family are having breakfast before going to church and the farm workers are going about their daily chores. But Goran the bull is angry. He breaks loose from his stall, and charges down the barn and out into the yard.

People gather from miles around to see the raging bull. But who will dare to cross Goran’s path? Will he stay angry forever? Karl, a seven-year-old farm boy, has a plan. Can a very small boy tame a very big bull?

A delightful story by acclaimed author Astrid Lindgren. The exquisitely detailed illustrations of wooden houses, farming families in their Sunday best and groves of white birch trees give a vivid sense of springtime on a Swedish farm of long ago.

Astrid Lindgren's story is so dear it brings tears to my eyes. The people in it are so real and there is such heart in the story; truly, this is a tale for Christmas.

It’s the last day of school before Christmas and snow is falling heavily. Johan heads to school on his sled, but he can’t stop thinking about the terrible thing that happened yesterday—his family’s only cow died, and they have no money to buy another.

The rich farmer Peter Jonsson has come to town today for the Christmas market. He buys a calf then, after spending some time in the local pub, loses it on the sleigh ride home! When Johan heads out to clear snow, what does he find?... Maybe he’ll have a happy Christmas after all.

Florina lives in a valley in the Swiss Alps with her mother, father, and brother Ursli. One day, while walking in the mountains, she finds a tiny bird that has lost its mother, and Florina takes the bird home to care for it. The girl and the wild bird soon become best friends. She makes food for it using her doll’s tea set and gives it a special basket for a bed.

When the bird grows up, its wings grow larger and it wants to fly. Florina must decide whether to keep the bird or release it to fly back tp the mountains.

This beloved children’s story is from the Swiss illustrator and author of A Bell for Ursli.

A really sweet story set in the Outer Hebrides, a location beloved for its knitting and for its rough natural beauty. The colors of Klaassen's paintings reflect perfectly the Northern Maritime sky and bracing weather. Just a delight to share with children!

The story:

On a remote Scottish island, two children find an abandoned lamb and take her home. They name her Uan, “little lamb” in Gaelic.

As Uan grows up, the children love playing with her, and they take her with them wherever they go. But what will happen when she becomes a full-grown sheep?

In this charming story told through the eyes of two young children, Sandra Klaassen depicts the landscape of the Outer Hebrides in drawings that brim with life and her love of the land and the people.

The Tomten is quite simply one of the best children's stories ever written. Years ago, we read this book (and it's companion, The Tomten and the Fox) to our children over and over. All of us loved it and the warmhearted magical little fellow who watches over the old farm while the people sleep. Tomtens are Swedish elemental beings who care for farms at night - and our children discovered that they also care for homes at night. When winter came with its snows, all our children started watching for Tomten tracks. Sure enough, the Tomten always came around each night! [It's amazing how much Tomten tracks look like cat and raccoon prints . . . ]

The Tomten warmed our hearts and gladdened our lives for many years - I'm sure he'll do the same for you! Ages 3-8 - and all adults!

Here is a lonely old farm where everyone is sleeping. All but one . . .

The Tomten is awake. He lives in a corner of the hayloft and comes out at night when human beings are asleep. He is an old, old Tomten who has seen the snow of many hundreds of winters. No one knows when he came to the farm. No one has ever seen him, but they know he is there. Sometimes when they wake up they see the prints of his feet in the snow. But no one has seen the Tomten.

This sweet, wonderful continuation of the story of the Tomten finds the Tomten not just watching over the farm, but protecting it. A hungry fox has crept into the farmyard, hoping to steal a chicken or two. None of the human beings know the fox is there . . . but the Tomten knows. In keeping the fox out of the henhouse, the Tomten shows that the best protection is compassion and kindness. He meets the fox with straightforward honesty, "You know that you're not allowed to steal our hens, don't you, Mr. Fox?", but also sees how hungry the fox is on this cold night and offers Mr. Fox some of his own porridge (left for the Tomten each night by the farm children). No longer hungry, the fox heads back to its den and the farm is safe for another night.

Grandma Fina is one of those people blessed with eyes that see only what is wonderful - including the torn and tattered yellow umbrella she uses to shade herself from the sun. As she walks down the street, she greets her children and grandchildren and neighbors, who always love to stop and chat with her. But everyone of them secretly thinks that Grandma Fina's yellow umbrella is not wonderful and needs to be replaced. On her birthday, she receives a new umbrella from each of them - what will she do with so many umbrellas? The answer is a warm and joyous delight, sure to be loved in your child's mother-tongue by anyone over 4. As an early reader in Spanish as a second language, it is suitable for the second or third year. As an early reader in English as a second language, it is appropriate for the third year. A great story whenever it is read!

The Woman Who Outshone the Sun is a Mexican legend of Lucia Zenteno, a beautiful woman who arrives in a mountain village with an iguana at her side and hair so glorious it outshines the sun. How the villagers react to her extraordinary presence - and how she responds to them - form this story, beautifully retold in both English and Spanish. For reading to children in their mother tongue, ages 4-5 and up. For children to practice English or Spanish as a second language, at the end of the first year of instruction to the middle of the second year.